A Wisconsin think tank released a report calling attention to better workforce development policies they believe would improve immigrant livelihood in the state.
Mel Meder, Center on Wisconsin Strategy spokesperson, said the report found many immigrant workers, most of who were not U.S. citizens, faced language barriers and were poorly educated.
Nearly 37 percent of non-U.S. foreign born citizens did not graduate high school compared to 8 percent of Americans, Meder said. The report recommends policies that will increase investment in training and efforts to give equal educational and economic opportunities to immigrant workers, she said.
More than 5 percent of Wisconsin’s workforce consists of immigrant workers, Meder said. Many live below the poverty line because of their inability to get good jobs, she said.
Anthony Ramirez, lead youth organizer at Voces De La Frontera, said many immigrant workers approach Voces De La Frontera in search of jobs, but there is not much they can do for them.
“Here we have a lot of people coming in asking about where they can get good job,” Ramirez said. “We would help but we don’t have the capacity to help.”
Ramirez said the need for policies that would support immigrant workers and help them attain the skills they need to flourish in the workplace has increased over time. He said the workforce development policies COWS recommended would be “resourceful” for many immigrant workers.
Meder said one of the major workforce development programs COWS recommended expanding is the career pathway bridges program. University of Wisconsin technical college system implements this program, which connects skills and training programs with higher education credits, she said. The report also recommends increasing minimum wage for immigrant workers, she said.
“Our data shows that immigrant workers and their families need attention, specifically non-U.S. citizens,” Meder said. “They tend to have limited English proficiency, limited educational attainment and higher rates of living below poverty line as individuals.”
Meder said 20 states offer in-state tuition to long-term state residents even if they are not U.S. citizens. Wisconsin was one of these states, but eliminated the policy. The report recommends restoring the policy, she said.
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Another recommendation the report gives state policy makers is improving language development among immigrant workers, Meder said. Several immigrants have a difficult time “making it” and need support. He said these policies give a base of protection and a “louder voice” to immigrant workers in their workplaces and would reduce chances of discrimination.
Meder said state policy makers are yet to look at the recommendations, but she hopes they will take them into consideration.
“It’s a state policy to support immigrant workers in its most basic form,” Meder said.
